Milton, Ontario, Canada – Karsten Madsen and Suzie Snyder won the elite titles at the XTERRA Mine over Matter off-road triathlon on a beautiful day at the Kelso Conservation Area in Milton this morning.

For Madsen, it’s his first-ever XTERRA major victory and it came in front of a big contingent of family and friends on a course he’s ridden “a million times.”

“This race had more stress than the others, since it is more of a hometown race. You feel you are expected to win, although that is the pressure I put on myself,” said Madsen.

Madsen was on fire from the start, posting the fastest swim and bike splits. He took an early lead out of the swim, increased the gap on Branden Rakita to nearly two minutes by the end of the first bike lap, made that a 3:30 gap heading into the run, and crossed the finish line in 1:37:53, almost a full five minutes ahead of runner-up Chris Ganter.

“Everything fell in place and I had the race I knew I could have,” said Madsen. “I executed well and had no mechanicals. The race is unique as there is no travel, such as to the U.S. or Argentina, and you have friends and family who support you all season and you want to show them their dedication to you is important.”

Ganter came out of the water more than two-minutes behind the leaders but strung together the third-best bike and second-best run splits to move into second-place by the finish, and Rakita held on for third. Canadian Alex VanderLinden had the fastest run split to finish fourth with fellow countryman Sean Bechtel not too far behind in 5th.

Of note, Daniel Molnar finished sixth in his pro debut, and Brian MacIlvain and Adam Morka came in 7th and 8th in their XTERRA debuts.

In the women’s race Suzie Snyder won her second Pan Am Pro Series race in as many tries, solidifying her successful return to the sport after nearly a full year spent recovering from a broken pelvis.

“It was amazing,” said Snyder, who picked up her fourth XTERRA major in the span of one calendar year. “It was hard today, the shorter distance makes it that much harder in intensity and mentally, which also makes it more enjoyable and lots of fun while you are suffering.”

In her first-ever XTERRA race Joanna Brown took the early lead with the fastest swim of the day, one-minute quicker than Snyder, but XTERRA is all about the mountain bike and that’s where Snyder took over – posting the fastest bike split and crossing the line two-minutes in front of Brown.

Maia Ignatz was solid in third, her second top three finish of the season, with Canadian Katharine Carter in fourth and Debby Sullivan in fifth.

Special thanks to Briana Rickertsen for race correspondence and live twitter coverage @xterraoffroad

Tentative Elite Results

Pos

Name, NAT

Time

Points

1

Karsten Madsen, CAN

1:37:53

75

2

Chris Ganter, USA

1:42:42

67

3

Branden Rakita, USA

1:43:36

61

4

Alex VanderLinden, CAN

1:44:46

56

5

Sean Bechtel, USA

1:45:24

51

6

Daniel Molnar, USA

1:46:33

47

7

Brian MacIlvain, USA

1:53:01

43

8

Adam Morka, CAN

2:02:36

39

Pos

Name, NAT

Time

Points

1

Suzie Snyder, USA

1:52:12

75

2

Joanna Brown, CAN

1:54:11

67

3

Maia Ignatz, USA

1:54:23

61

4

Katharina Carter, CAN

1:59:05

56

5

Debby Sullivan, USA

2:03:53

51

6

Annie-Claude Gaudet, CAN

2:04:21

47

7

Caroline Colonna, USA

2:08:36

43

MIDDAUGH, GOBBO STILL LEAD IN PAN AM PRO SERIES STANDINGS

At the midway point in the inaugural 10-stop XTERRA Pan Am Pro Series Josiah Middaugh from the U.S. and Sabrina Gobbo from Brazil still hold the top spots in the rankings. With the win today Madsen moves into the second-position, just 20 points behind Middaugh. In the women’s chase Suzie Snyder moves into a tie for 2nd with Myriam Guillot-Boisset. Each of those two have one Gold and one Silver race victory for 175 points.

Racers count their best four scores (two Gold, two Silver) plus what they earn at the XTERRA Pan American Championship race September 17 in Utah.
Learn more about the XTERRA Pan Am Tour at http://www.xterraplanet.com/xterra-pan-am-tour/
Next up: XTERRA Victoria on July 10 on the other side of Canada in British Columbia.

2016 XTERRA PAN AM PRO SERIES STANDINGS

After 4 – 6.25.16

Men

S

G

S

G

S

PL

NAME

TOT

CRC

ARG

BRA

ALA

MOM

1

Josiah Middaugh, USA

267

67

100

DNS

100

DNS

2

Karsten Madsen, CAN

247

DNS

90

DNS

82

75

3

Branden Rakita, USA

136

DNS

DNS

DNS

75

61

4

Chris Ganter, USA

130

DNS

DNS

DNS

63

67

5

Ian King, USA

106

DNS

53

DNS

53

DNS

6

Mauricio Mendez, MEX

90

DNS

DNS

DNS

90

DNS

7

Jonatan Morales, ARG

82

DNS

82

DNS

DNS

DNS

8

Karl Shaw, GBR

75

75

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

9

Oscar Galindez, ARG

75

DNS

75

DNS

DNS

DNS

10

Albert Soley, ESP

75

DNS

DNS

75

DNS

DNS

11

Lucas Mendez, ARG

69

DNS

69

DNS

DNS

DNS

12

Kieran McPherson, NZL

69

DNS

DNS

DNS

69

DNS

13

Felipe Moletta, BRA

67

DNS

DNS

67

DNS

DNS

14

Mario De Elias, ARG

63

DNS

63

DNS

DNS

DNS

15

Rom Akerson, CRC

61

61

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

16

Diogo Malagon, BRA

61

DNS

DNS

61

DNS

DNS

17

Facu Medard, ARG

58

DNS

58

DNS

DNS

DNS

18

Cody Waite, USA

58

DNS

DNS

DNS

58

DNS

19

Francois Carloni, FRA

56

56

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

20

Bruno Silva, BRA

56

DNS

DNS

56

DNS

DNS

21

Alex VanderLinden, CAN

56

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

56

22

Federico Venegas, CRC

51

51

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

23

Frederico Zacharias, BRA

51

DNS

DNS

51

DNS

DNS

24

Sean Bechtel, USA

51

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

51

25

Mauro Ayesa, USA

49

DNS

49

DNS

DNS

DNS

26

Thomas Spannring, USA

49

DNS

DNS

DNS

49

DNS

27

Greg Schott, USA

47

47

DNS

DNS

DNF

DNS

28

Raul Furtado, BRA

47

DNS

DNS

47

DNS

DNS

29

Daniel Molnar, USA

47

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

47

30

Victor Arenas, ARG

45

DNS

45

DNS

DNS

DNS

31

Michael Nunez, USA

45

DNS

DNS

DNS

45

DNS

32

Henrique Lugarini, BRA

43

DNS

DNS

43

DNS

DNS

33

Brian MacIlvain, USA

43

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

43

34

Parada Penagos, ARG

41

DNS

41

DNS

DNS

DNS

35

Eduardo Marcolino, BRA

39

DNS

DNS

39

DNS

DNS

36

Adam Morka, CAN

39

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

39

37

Rodrigo Altafini, BRA

36

DNS

DNS

36

DNS

DNS

38

Stenio Bezerra, BRA

33

DNS

DNS

33

DNS

DNS

39

Rogério Paula, BRA

30

DNS

DNS

30

DNS

DNS

40

Ramon Bustos, BRA

27

DNS

DNS

27

DNS

DNS

41

Cristiam Suzin, BRA

25

DNS

DNS

25

DNS

DNS

42

Juscelino Vasco, BRA

23

DNS

DNS

23

DNS

DNS

43

Wellington Conceição, BRA

21

DNS

DNS

21

DNS

DNS

Women

S

G

S

G

S

PL

NAME

TOT

CRC

ARG

BRA

ALA

MOM

1

Sabrina Gobbo, BRA

205

61

DNS

75

69

DNS

2

Miriam Guillot-Boisset, FRA

175

75

100

DNS

DNS

DNS

3

Suzie Snyder, USA

175

DNS

DNS

DNS

100

75

4

Caroline Colonna, USA

157

51

DNS

DNS

63

43

5

Maia Ignatz, USA

151

DNS

DNS

DNS

90

61

6

Laura Mira Dias, BRA

149

DNS

82

67

DNS

DNS

7

Kara Lapoint, USA

149

67

DNS

DNS

82

DNS

8

Debby Sullivan, USA

126

DNS

DNS

DNS

75

51

9

Rebecca Blatt, USA

100

47

DNS

DNS

53

DNS

10

Fabiola Corona, MEX

90

DNS

90

DNS

DNS

DNS

11

Erika Simon, ARG

75

DNS

75

DNS

DNS

DNS

12

Joanna Brown, CAN

67

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

67

13

Isabella Ribeiro

61

DNS

DNS

61

DNS

DNS

14

Sarah Gravves, USA

58

DNS

DNS

DNS

58

DNS

15

Caitlin Snow, USA

56

56

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

16

Luisa Saft, BRA

56

DNS

DNS

56

DNS

DNS

17

Katharina Carter, CAN

56

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

56

18

Vanessa Cabrini, BRA

51

DNS

DNS

51

DNS

DNS

19

Maggie Rusch, USA

49

DNS

DNS

DNS

49

DNS

20

Fernanda Prieto, BRA

47

DNS

DNS

47

DNS

DNS

21

Annie-Claude Gaudet, CAN

47

DNS

DNS

DNS

DNS

47

22

Brisa Melcop, BRA

43

DNS

DNS

43

DNS

DNS

23

Beatriz Granziera, BRA

39

DNS

DNS

39

DNS

DNS

24

Melania Giraldi, BRA

36

DNS

DNS

36

DNS

DNS

25

Monalisa Vieira, BRA

33

DNS

DNS

33

DNS

DNS

DNS

Did Not Start

2016 XTERRA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS

XTERRA Mine Over Matter was the 19th of 37 events where the fastest amateur athletes from around the world could qualify to race at the 21st annual XTERRA World Championship at Kapalua, Maui on Oct 23.